IRIN - Indonesiahttp://www.irinnews.org/Updated everydayen-gbMon, 15 Jun 2015 14:30:30 GMTIn Indonesia’s Aceh, a warm welcome for refugees in a sea of miseryMon, 15 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>LANGSA, INDONESIA 15 June 2015 (IRIN) - Nur Yanah can’t hold back the tears when she recalls hundreds of emaciated boat people arriving in her native Aceh province after being rescued by local fishermen in defiance of the government decision to leave them adrift.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101631/In-Indonesia-s-Aceh-a-warm-welcome-for-refugees-in-a-sea-of-misery

LANGSA, INDONESIA 15 June 2015 (IRIN) - Nur Yanah can’t hold back the tears when she recalls hundreds of emaciated boat people arriving in her native Aceh province after being rescued by local fishermen in defiance of the government decision to leave them adrift.

]]>Does labour migration do more harm than good?Fri, 12 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>CIREUNGHAS 12 June 2015 (IRIN) - Unlike its namesake, Jeddah Village boasts no sprawling shopping centres or skyscrapers soaring from the desert sands, but this cluster of homes in Indonesia’s Cireunghas district is intimately tied to Saudi Arabia’s commercial capital: many of the houses were built with money saved by locals who travelled there to work.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101627/Does-labour-migration-do-more-harm-than-good

CIREUNGHAS 12 June 2015 (IRIN) - Unlike its namesake, Jeddah Village boasts no sprawling shopping centres or skyscrapers soaring from the desert sands, but this cluster of homes in Indonesia’s Cireunghas district is intimately tied to Saudi Arabia’s commercial capital: many of the houses were built with money saved by locals who travelled there to work.

]]>Living in limbo: Refugee stories from IndonesiaWed, 03 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>CISARUA 03 June 2015 (IRIN) - Indonesia, along with Malaysia, has agreed to give temporary refuge to several thousand Rohingya who reached its shores in recent weeks, provided they are resettled elsewhere within one year. But Indonesia is already host to 4,400 refugees, most of whom have been waiting far longer than a year for resettlement while another 7,000 asylum seekers are still awaiting refugee status decisions.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101580/Living-in-limbo-Refugee-stories-from-Indonesia

CISARUA 03 June 2015 (IRIN) - Indonesia, along with Malaysia, has agreed to give temporary refuge to several thousand Rohingya who reached its shores in recent weeks, provided they are resettled elsewhere within one year. But Indonesia is already host to 4,400 refugees, most of whom have been waiting far longer than a year for resettlement while another 7,000 asylum seekers are still awaiting refugee status decisions.

]]>Glimmer of hope for Southeast Asia's migrantsWed, 20 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>OXFORD/KUALA LUMPUR 20 May 2015 (IRIN) - Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to provide temporary shelter and assistance to thousands of migrants still stranded at sea in Southeast Asia, but they have stopped short of offering to find their boats and bring them ashore.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101518/Glimmer-of-hope-for-Southeast-Asia-apos-s-migrants

OXFORD/KUALA LUMPUR 20 May 2015 (IRIN) - Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to provide temporary shelter and assistance to thousands of migrants still stranded at sea in Southeast Asia, but they have stopped short of offering to find their boats and bring them ashore.

]]>Kept afloat by hope - the endless odyssey of the RohingyaMon, 18 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>KUALA LUMPAR 18 May 2015 (IRIN) - Faizal Ahmad has just spent six months at sea, in an open boat crammed with 450 people, praying that Allah would deliver him to safety and a future free of persecution. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101508/Kept-afloat-by-hope-the-endless-odyssey-of-the-Rohingya

KUALA LUMPAR 18 May 2015 (IRIN) - Faizal Ahmad has just spent six months at sea, in an open boat crammed with 450 people, praying that Allah would deliver him to safety and a future free of persecution.

]]>All at sea: what lies behind Southeast Asia’s migrant crisis? Fri, 15 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>OXFORD 15 May 2015 (IRIN) - The plight of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers from Myanmar and Bangladesh, left adrift without food and water for nearly a week, has all the hallmarks of a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Yet despite statements of concern from governments, aid agencies and human rights groups, there is little sign of a coordinated plan to address the issue. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101503/All-at-sea-what-lies-behind-Southeast-Asia-s-migrant-crisis

OXFORD 15 May 2015 (IRIN) - The plight of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers from Myanmar and Bangladesh, left adrift without food and water for nearly a week, has all the hallmarks of a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Yet despite statements of concern from governments, aid agencies and human rights groups, there is little sign of a coordinated plan to address the issue.

]]>Malaysia and Thailand leave migrant boats adriftWed, 13 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>OXFORD 13 May 2015 (IRIN) - As Europe focuses on the migrants in the Mediterranean, another humanitarian crisis is playing out on a stretch of water between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants have been deserted by smugglers and left adrift for days without food or water. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101487/Malaysia-and-Thailand-leave-migrant-boats-adrift

OXFORD 13 May 2015 (IRIN) - As Europe focuses on the migrants in the Mediterranean, another humanitarian crisis is playing out on a stretch of water between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants have been deserted by smugglers and left adrift for days without food or water.

]]>Why are humanitarians so WEIRD?Wed, 15 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>BELGRADE 15 April 2015 (IRIN) - In his latest column, recovering aid worker Paul Currion argues that humanitarian organisations are fundamentally WEIRD - Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. Unless that changes, he says, they will always struggle to understand the communities in which they work.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101314/Why-are-humanitarians-so-WEIRD

BELGRADE 15 April 2015 (IRIN) - In his latest column, recovering aid worker Paul Currion argues that humanitarian organisations are fundamentally WEIRD - Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. Unless that changes, he says, they will always struggle to understand the communities in which they work.

]]>What future for the humanitarian capital of the world? Tue, 07 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>GENEVA 07 April 2015 (IRIN) - Geneva has firmly taken its place as one of the most expensive cities in the world, following a sharp rise in the value of the Swiss franc in January. Should cost-conscious aid agencies be headquartered there? http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101332/What-future-for-the-humanitarian-capital-of-the-world

GENEVA 07 April 2015 (IRIN) - Geneva has firmly taken its place as one of the most expensive cities in the world, following a sharp rise in the value of the Swiss franc in January. Should cost-conscious aid agencies be headquartered there?

]]>Killing us softly Fri, 27 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>HONG KONG 27 March 2015 (IRIN) - Of the 100 million Chinese who watched a documentary - later censored - about air pollution in their country, 172,000 are likely to die each year from air pollution-related diseases. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101285/Killing-us-softly

HONG KONG 27 March 2015 (IRIN) - Of the 100 million Chinese who watched a documentary - later censored - about air pollution in their country, 172,000 are likely to die each year from air pollution-related diseases.

]]>Scale of Vanuatu cyclone disaster complicates aid responseMon, 16 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 16 March 2015 (IRIN) - The scale of Vanuatu’s cyclone disaster is matched only by the complexity of the required humanitarian response, according to both the government and aid workers arriving on the battered Pacific islands.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101239/Scale-of-Vanuatu-cyclone-disaster-complicates-aid-response

NAIROBI 16 March 2015 (IRIN) - The scale of Vanuatu’s cyclone disaster is matched only by the complexity of the required humanitarian response, according to both the government and aid workers arriving on the battered Pacific islands.

]]>Vanuatu reeling from impact of cyclone PamSat, 14 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 14 March 2015 (IRIN) - The closure of the main airport in Vanuatu is hampering the humanitarian response to cyclone Pam, which tore through the Pacific island archipelago yesterday, causing colossal damage.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101235/Vanuatu-reeling-from-impact-of-cyclone-Pam

NAIROBI 14 March 2015 (IRIN) - The closure of the main airport in Vanuatu is hampering the humanitarian response to cyclone Pam, which tore through the Pacific island archipelago yesterday, causing colossal damage.

NAIROBI 13 March 2015 (IRIN) - As cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm, makes landfall today on the pacific islands of Vanuatu, humanitarian workers there say the urban poor are especially at risk.

]]>Who celebrity advocates are really targeting. And it’s not you.Fri, 13 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT]]>LONDON 13 February 2015 (IRIN) - In recent years, aid agencies have increasingly used celebrities to raise awareness and money for their causes. There’s just one problem: It doesn’t actually work. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101122/Who-celebrity-advocates-are-really-targeting-And-it-s-not-you

LONDON 13 February 2015 (IRIN) - In recent years, aid agencies have increasingly used celebrities to raise awareness and money for their causes. There’s just one problem: It doesn’t actually work.

]]>Aceh's unfinished recoveryFri, 26 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANDA ACEH 26 December 2014 (IRIN) - In a guest post, Lilianne Fan with Overseas Development Institute examines the fallout of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs and devastated coastal towns and communities. The impact was global in scale - an estimated 270,000 people killed or missing across 14 countries, with casualties in 46 nations. But while the tsunami’s destruction was felt around the world, Aceh was by far the region most devastated by the disaster, bearing almost half of the total damage and losses worldwide. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100972/Aceh-apos-s-unfinished-recovery

BANDA ACEH 26 December 2014 (IRIN) - In a guest post, Lilianne Fan with Overseas Development Institute examines the fallout of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs and devastated coastal towns and communities. The impact was global in scale - an estimated 270,000 people killed or missing across 14 countries, with casualties in 46 nations. But while the tsunami’s destruction was felt around the world, Aceh was by far the region most devastated by the disaster, bearing almost half of the total damage and losses worldwide.

]]>Aceh redux: The legacy of Aceh’s emergency economy Wed, 24 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANDA ACEH 24 December 2014 (IRIN) - What happens when you suddenly inject billions of dollars, hundreds of jobs and 500 aid agencies into to an isolated corner of the world battered by more than a quarter century of conflict and then devastated by one of the world’s worst natural disasters? IRIN looks back at some of the unintended and residual consequences of the international response in Indonesia’s Aceh Province to the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100961/Aceh-redux-The-legacy-of-Aceh-s-emergency-economy

BANDA ACEH 24 December 2014 (IRIN) - What happens when you suddenly inject billions of dollars, hundreds of jobs and 500 aid agencies into to an isolated corner of the world battered by more than a quarter century of conflict and then devastated by one of the world’s worst natural disasters? IRIN looks back at some of the unintended and residual consequences of the international response in Indonesia’s Aceh Province to the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.

]]>Sri Lanka, the tsunami and the evolution of disaster response Wed, 24 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>COLOMBO 24 December 2014 (IRIN) - On the morning of 26 December 2004, Mohideen Ajeemal, a fish distributor from Sainathimaruthu, a village on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast, hurriedly climbed a coconut tree to escape rapidly rising seawater. As he did so he saw his young daughter and son struggling to save themselves. “I found both bodies later that afternoon. My son’s body was swept away about a mile, my daughter’s had got stuck in a fence,” he said.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100962/Sri-Lanka-the-tsunami-and-the-evolution-of-disaster-response

COLOMBO 24 December 2014 (IRIN) - On the morning of 26 December 2004, Mohideen Ajeemal, a fish distributor from Sainathimaruthu, a village on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast, hurriedly climbed a coconut tree to escape rapidly rising seawater. As he did so he saw his young daughter and son struggling to save themselves. “I found both bodies later that afternoon. My son’s body was swept away about a mile, my daughter’s had got stuck in a fence,” he said.

]]>Aceh redux: The tsunami that helped stop a warTue, 23 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANDA ACEH 23 December 2014 (IRIN) - When the earthquake struck, Irwandi Yusuf, a leader in the armed separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), was startled in his prison bunk. He began to pack his possessions into a plastic bag. “The earthquake was strong, I thought there might be a tsunami,” he said. “I knew many people would run toward the main door, and the prison guard would shut the gate to stop the crowd because he didn’t know the tsunami was coming.”http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100960/Aceh-redux-The-tsunami-that-helped-stop-a-war

BANDA ACEH 23 December 2014 (IRIN) - When the earthquake struck, Irwandi Yusuf, a leader in the armed separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), was startled in his prison bunk. He began to pack his possessions into a plastic bag. “The earthquake was strong, I thought there might be a tsunami,” he said. “I knew many people would run toward the main door, and the prison guard would shut the gate to stop the crowd because he didn’t know the tsunami was coming.”

]]>Aceh redux: Aceh at 10 – A look back at the response Mon, 22 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANDA ACEH 22 December 2014 (IRIN) - A decade after the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated Aceh, the isolated tip of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island on the morning of 24 December 2004, IRIN looks at the unprecedented aid response, its impact on the industry, and how local people continue to be affected.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100959/Aceh-redux-Aceh-at-10-A-look-back-at-the-response

BANDA ACEH 22 December 2014 (IRIN) - A decade after the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated Aceh, the isolated tip of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island on the morning of 24 December 2004, IRIN looks at the unprecedented aid response, its impact on the industry, and how local people continue to be affected.

]]>Australia’s new migration bill shifts task to securityThu, 18 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 18 December 2014 (IRIN) - This week's passing into law of Australia’s Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment Act, which comes on the heels of a year of tightened border controls and refugee intake policy changes, could chill regional cooperation. Experts say it reflects global trends of treating migration as a security problem, and acknowledging that might be an important avenue for Southeast Asian regional policy development.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100950/Australia-s-new-migration-bill-shifts-task-to-security

BANGKOK 18 December 2014 (IRIN) - This week's passing into law of Australia’s Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment Act, which comes on the heels of a year of tightened border controls and refugee intake policy changes, could chill regional cooperation. Experts say it reflects global trends of treating migration as a security problem, and acknowledging that might be an important avenue for Southeast Asian regional policy development.

]]>An ambitious plan to end statelessnessFri, 07 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>LONDON 07 November 2014 (IRIN) - It is now 60 years since stateless people received recognition in international law, and the UN has two conventions (1954 and 1961) dedicated to their protection and the regularization of their situation. Yet an estimated 10 million people worldwide still suffer the problems and indignities of having no nationality.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100804/An-ambitious-plan-to-end-statelessness

LONDON 07 November 2014 (IRIN) - It is now 60 years since stateless people received recognition in international law, and the UN has two conventions (1954 and 1961) dedicated to their protection and the regularization of their situation. Yet an estimated 10 million people worldwide still suffer the problems and indignities of having no nationality.

]]>Migrant detention "abuse" can scar children for lifeTue, 21 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 21 October 2014 (IRIN) - An increasing number of migrant children are being detained in countries where they are seeking asylum despite a growing body of scientific evidence that such incarceration leads to long-term psychological and developmental difficulties.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100741/Migrant-detention-quot-abuse-quot-can-scar-children-for-life

BANGKOK 21 October 2014 (IRIN) - An increasing number of migrant children are being detained in countries where they are seeking asylum despite a growing body of scientific evidence that such incarceration leads to long-term psychological and developmental difficulties.

]]>Concern over World Bank proposals to roll back safeguards for indigenous peopleWed, 03 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 03 September 2014 (IRIN) - Activists warn of a harmful regression in the World Bank's safeguard policies, claiming that proposed changes being considered this autumn could weaken the rights of indigenous people, and others in danger of displacement and abuse as a result of Bank-funded development projects. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100569/Concern-over-World-Bank-proposals-to-roll-back-safeguards-for-indigenous-people

BANGKOK 03 September 2014 (IRIN) - Activists warn of a harmful regression in the World Bank's safeguard policies, claiming that proposed changes being considered this autumn could weaken the rights of indigenous people, and others in danger of displacement and abuse as a result of Bank-funded development projects.

]]>Call for action to curb attacks on environmental campaignersWed, 20 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT]]>BALI 20 August 2014 (IRIN) - Amid increasing documentation of attacks on people engaged in environmental activism, experts are calling for a global protection regime to defend and support campaigners subjected to harassment and abuse.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/100518/Call-for-action-to-curb-attacks-on-environmental-campaigners

BALI 20 August 2014 (IRIN) - Amid increasing documentation of attacks on people engaged in environmental activism, experts are calling for a global protection regime to defend and support campaigners subjected to harassment and abuse.